Floral support



F. C. BRAUN FLORAL SUPPORT June 21, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 17, 1944 HTTOFINEY WWW,

FERN/r c2 show/xv June Z1, 1949. c, BRAUN 2,473,855

FLORAL SUPPORT Filed Jan. 17, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HTTORNEY PatentedJune 21, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to floral supports and the method of making thesame, and more especially to inexpensive non-permanent supportsutilizing moss or otherwise and held to the easel or other supporteither by gravity or the use of suction cups.

An object of the invention is to create a floral design utilizin moss orlike filling substance applied to the design or support mechanicallywith the minimum of labor.

Another object i to provide a floral support formed from cardboard orlike cheap easilyformed and non-permanent material, provided withkey-hole openings for removably receiving holdin means such as thebutton-type suction cup.

A further object is to provide a floral support of flexible material,reinforced and stiffened with wire, bamboo, or other rigid members, orby embossing the material itself for the same purpose.

A still further object is to provide a floral wreath formed from ahollow disc, packed moss extruded from a tube and bent to overlie thedisc, and a wrapping strip of cellophane or other suitable material,wrapped around both disc and moss to form a unitary buoy-shaped wreath.

Another object is to provide a floral cross with means for bothattaching it to a support and suspending it to a wire easel, includingmeans on the latter to support the lower portion of the cross.

Yet another object is to provide a floral pillow support made fromfolded collapsible cardboard, etc., for ease in shipment and latererection.

All these and other objects, as suggested herebelow, are attained by themethod and means now to be described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a cardboardwreath base equipped with key-hole openings for holding button suctioncups, and reinforcing means for rigidity.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a floral cross base, including also wiremembers for attaching to a stand or easel.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a button suction cup in position onits wreath or other base.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a spray bar having a flat cardboardbase, moss interior, and rubber-like sack cover, and showin a florlstsstick or flower stem inserted into the material by piercing.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a wreath formed on the base of Fig. 1.

a Fig. 61s a section through the line 66 of Fig.

5, but showing a modification of the base, utilizing an embossedstrengthening rib in lieu of the wire reinforcement.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a wire frame easel formed of two wires,and containing a cross support for the lower end of a cross, forinstance.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational View of the device of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view, partly in phantom, of a collapsiblecardboard support for floral pillows, fully erected ready for thepillow.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 9 in un-erected position.

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the essential elements of themechanism used for packing and applying the moss to a spray bar, forinstance, formed by the base and wrapper being positioned outside themoss exit portion thereof.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a portion of themechanism of Fig. 11, showing the sliding weight used to vary the degreeof compression of the moss automatically by varying the weight.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view, somewhat diagrammatic, of the mechanismused for extruding a rope of packed moss onto a wreath frame, andbending it therearound and wrapping it at the same time.

Fig. 14 is a bottom plan view of a collapsed pillow base, equipped withmoss bag and scalable open end, ready for erection and filling withmoss.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a display form equipped for the rearsurface of its base with curved staples for holding three straight wiresby sliding friction to form a holding easel therefor.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

There is shown in Fig. 1 a wreath base comprising a circular centrallyapertured fiat cardboard disc 26 having a plurality of spaced concentricopenings 2!, of keyhole shape, punched therefrom. These all point in thesame direction, as shown. A circular wire 22 for rigidity, is shownpositioned through spaced parallel radial slits 23, near one edge of thering-like base; and one or more easel-holding wires El stapled to base20, for twisting around the easel legs.

Fig. 2 shows a similar base for a cross design, comprising the basemember 24, shaped as shown, keyhole openings 25 to receive the holdingsuction cups, a centrally-disposed hole or openin 26 for suspending theobject to an easel, for instance, wires 21 on the rear face forattaching the device to stand or easel and stiffening straight wires 28held in slits 29 for stiffening the whole surface, as shown.

Fig. 3 shows the button-type suction cup 30 in cross section, as held inplace in keyhole opening 2 I, of member 20, for instance, the button endbeing inserted into the large end of the hole and then forced into thesmall holding end thereof.

Fig. 4 shows a spray bar made from a rectangular cardboardibase, .acellophane-or, like wrapper 3| enclosing both the base and the mosinsert. This is somewhat semi-circular in cross section, as shown, andadapted to permit the piercing of Wrapper and moss by a floristsstick;or flower stem 32, for holding the flowers on the surface thereof.

Fig. 5 shows a wreath of the-type havinga-base.

like that shown in Fig. 1, filled with packed'moss in manner ashereinafter explained, and COVE loop: 3.;la at its top; to swing,overthebend of 2) member 35. The: floral, design, here-shown, as cross-Z4,uses the opening-1.5, Fig. 2,. in its base to suspend it on adownwardly-extending hook portion tlh-of-leg 37. A-nda crosswire38,.with bent-over ends, extends laterally across meme ber '24; to passacross-,the,legs-3=6 to rest in-the plane thereof; In thecase of: adouble-ended floral design,.likewthe spray, bar; Fig. .4, two such wires38- are used, onenear: eachiend, sothe design may be hung-fr-om either.end.

A collapsible-cardboard base for; a-pillow floral design is shown. in-Figs. 9. and, 10. A hollow base member with a slanted top is formed fromcardboard, by, folding on-scores till) andfastoning end flap.Mzritothe-opposite end of 40. This is:attached toan-overlying top member39 by a foldable connecting piece :32,- being. preferably stapled at4211; and there is alsoaholding flap 4'1, shaped and: positioned asshown, and

connectedtoithetop, asby staples Ma. When setup, the device'lookslikesFig. 9., being ready to receive on its upper slanted surface thefloral pillow foundation, inmanner; as shown in Fig.- 14, and" hereafterdescribed.

The method and'appa'ratus for making a spray bar of the type shown inFig.4 for instance, will now be described. The apparatus is shownsomewhatdiagrammaticallyrin Fig. 11, and-consists essentially of acompressed. air (or steam) cylinder 43; of seamless, steel tubing,- apiston Meade-pt ed: to: slidesthereininifluid-tight manner,axpistonrodAB. havinggoneend attached to piston 44, and-the other:endatoa mossrplunger 46 movable in; an aligned chamber. 4'! withits-opposite or exit end open; This chamber and plunger areshaped1in:cross.-sectionlike that of the spray. bar, that: is, inthis,instance; semieoircular. A central portion-.48- of the;v chamber-11 is cut away fromitsjiat base;up; to. permit'feedting the mossthereto.

By means of -'a valve; (not shown) thezex-pansi blefluid, suchascompressediainiis: admitted to cylinder 43: through'jnlet; .pipe. 55,to force; piston 44 to the: left.. Through; rod 45; this. pushes plunger46'' tor. the;-. left? in; chamber; M; to: com:-

press and move out the moss 48 which has been fed into the chamberopening at that point. The valve at 55 is then closed automatically andanother valve exit pipe 56 to exhaust the air, when tension spring 53contracts to pull the upper end of pivoted lever 5! to the left, which,being pivoted, moves its lower end to the right; and this, beingpivotally attached to rod 45, returns both plunger and piston... totheir initial positions-to the .rlght.

This operation is repeated automatically as the operator supplies moss48 to the opening in chamber 41. Prior to beginning this operation, the:operator has positioned a rectangle of cardboardto serve as the base ofthe spray bar, over the fiat surface of chamber 41, and over that has;placed-a tube-like strip of cellophane with the outer end closed. As thecompacted moss its-extruded, it emergesirom the exit end of the formingchamber on the base cardboard and inside the cellophane wrapper: Now,by-referring to Fig. 12, there is" shown a"- weight 49s1iding on a base50. This-is-pl'aced-in front of the closed wrapper endto form a variableresistance to the extrusion of the formed bar; by changing; the weight,different degrees of packing ofthemoss results.

The manufactureof the wreath is accomplished by a similar methodThe-wreath isshown" at 32, Fig. 13, tangentially positioned at'the exitend of the cylindrical chamber 55, through opening 55 of which moss 48-is-fed-. The packing plunger 57 isoperated from rod; 58- connectedtosuitable reciprocal movingmeans, either power or by hand, as before.

As the rope-like sack of packed moss; emerges from the exit endof thetube, which end-lsbeveled as shown, eitherghand or'automaticpower meansrotates the cardboardbase member 0, Fig.1, and the moss. is. directedxtofallion top of and around this circular shape, while at the same time.aband of; cellophane 32 is ,overlappingly wound aroundboth moss. andbase... When the circle is complete.d, thewreathjs.remo ed, and the,final wrapping ,thenfinishedby hand; or otherwise, and. the. wrapperandsealed, asaby application of heat.

The pilow. base, Fig. 10,.assemb1-ed to=form Fig. 9., maybe collapsedfor, shipment to.the.-form of Fig. 14. In this condition, it is usedas,the basev for. forming. the pillow. A ..cellophane.sack 5.5, sealedat oneend, ispla-cedbeneath-the,base, its upper open edgesv overlyingthebase about an inch, to which itis first attached by asuitableadhesive. Then. moss may be insertedinto the-sack fromtheother end;either by handor in manner as described for thespray barabove, afterwhich the open. end, is, sealed, as; by a gummed flap -56 I previouslyafiixedi to r the, wrap;- per or sack. This; article may beecon enientlyshlpped to outlying florists, in collapsed form,;.to be used by, them:with .th-eirsownr moss: and; filled by hand.

The manufacture of other shapes may beancomplished in; a:generallyrsimilarrway: For inst'anc=e;-.a heart-shaped wreath-would have:a likeshaped mold. containingva piece of" cellophane, etc; Moss isthen:introduce.d, ontop Of! which a heart-shaped; cardboard: base. is;put, then: a heart" of cellophaneis laid, over; the edge-sides of whichthe other cellophane is folded, and a fiatahearteshaped weight applied,the edges. being, say, a half-inch inside those of themold Heat ngmeans; is;-;then:irun;=.arormdroutside theseredges 5 to seal the twopieces of cellophane together to complete the heart object.

When attaching the easel-holding wires 21, Fig. 2, and 38, Fig. 4, whichmay be flat or otherwise, and twistable, :a wire stapling device isemployed with a projecting lip forming the anvil and which can easilypierce the cellophane and moss to reach its clinching position under thebase of the article. The user of the floral design then may attach it tothe easel, etc., by bending or twisting these wires around the legsthereof.

Thus we have a display form much less expensive to make than those ofwire, so common during the past fifty years, and destructible by theelements after its mission is over, Replaceable suction cups readilyattach it anywhere needed, whether on the florists easel or the cemeterymonument. It can be reversed in position and held there by the samemeans, moved sidewise for alignment or better decorative possibilities,shipped moss-less and knock-down, may be selfreinforced to the desiredrigidity or reinforcing rods applied through slits cut therein; and thecellophane wrapper is easily pierced by stems and florists sticks, holdsthe moss contents tightly due to its slight resiliency; and one adaptedto rapid quantity manufacture at lowest possible cost.

In Fig. 15 the cardboard display form 35 is equipped with three curvedstaples 'Bl applied by a stapling device, so arranged that two straightfront wires 36, 36 and a straight rear wire 3! may be forced throughthem to form a holding easel for the display form. There is also shownone or more flowers or decoration sprays 62 attached to the front sideof base 35 by an ordinary or straight staple 63, thus doing away withthe need of a mossed sack and wire sticks on the flower stems which areusually used for decorating the display base to form the object.

Having now described the invention, what is claimed as new and for whichLetters Patent of the United States is desired, is:

1. A floral support for inserted stemmed flowers, comprising a flatcardboard base member having an outline shape of predetermineddecorative configuration, a reinforcing wire secured 6 upon one surfaceof said base member in substantially parallel relation to said outlineshape, a flower-stem-penetrable moss pad substantially corresponding inoutline shape to said base member having a flat rearward surface engagedwith the forward surface of said base member and a convex forwardsurface, and a flower-stem-penetrable flexible covering extending aroundsaid base member and said pad to bind them together.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, further characterized by atleast one easel attaching tie wire secured to said base member andextending rearwardly therefrom.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, further characterized by saidbase member having at least one key slot adapted to removably receivethe attaching button of a suction cup extending rearwardly from saidbase member.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, further characterized by saidbase member being of circular ring shape, and said flexible coveringbeing spirally wound about said base member and said pad.

FRANK C. BRAUN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 160,247 Warren Feb. 23, 1875801,383 King et al Oct. 10, 1905 948,113 Moore Feb. 1, 1910 1,354,627Singman et al Oct. 5, 1920 1,421,595 Smith July 4, 1922 1,594,592 BirumAug. 3, 1926 1,611,589 Janusek Dec. 21, 1926 1,817,173 Brandt Aug. 4,1931 1,889,913 Birum et al Dec. 6, 1932 2,066,844 Lynch Jan. 5, 19372,200,948 Bufton May 4, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 352,718Great Britain July 16, 1931

